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Family Dollar Planning to Open 109 Stores Next Month

MATTHEWS, N.C. - Family Dollar Stores, Inc., the fast-growing North Carolina-based discount store chain, opened 44 stores during the four-week period ended July 31, bringing the chain's total to 5,358. Next month the value retailer will open 109 stores -- the most ever opened by the company in a single month.

August 3, 2004, 08:00 pm

MATTHEWS, N.C. - Family Dollar Stores, Inc., the fast-growing North Carolina-based discount store chain, opened 44 stores during the four-week period ended July 31, bringing the chain's total to 5,358. Next month the value retailer will open 109 stores -- the most ever opened by the company in a single month.

The locations will be traditional-sized Family Dollar stores, ranging from 7,500 to 9,500 square feet, Familly Dollar e.v.p. George Mahoney, told Progressive Grocer.

The newest stores are in the following states and the District of Columbia: Six in Florida; five in Texas; four each in Illinois, Michigan, New Mexico, and Ohio; two each in Arizona, Colorado, and New York; and one each in Alabama, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

"Since our stores are relatively small, we have a lot of flexibility in where we open them," said Mahoney. "We can open them in very small towns or even major urban markets with a storefront location."

To meet the challenge of staffing these stores and to help interested contractors put out bids, Family Dollar posts FAQs on its Web site. "The Web site helps get the resources, not only from the standpoint of contractors and vendors, but also to help us staff all of the new stores with managers and assistant managers and other store associates," said Mahoney.

For the fiscal year beginning Aug. 29, Family Dollar plans to open between 500 and 560 stores and close 60 to 70 stores, which will result in about 8 percent to 9 percent net new-store growth, and 9 percent to 10 percent net square footage growth.